GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Mitch Ermatinger was one of 100 West Michigan business owners who got the call last week that they had won a complete business makeover courtesy of Comcast’s RISE program.

Ermatinger, who co-owns Grand Rapids microbrewery Speciation Artisan Ales, said the RISE grant, plus the package of free consultation services, will “make a huge difference” for his business, especially going into the winter.

“Like pretty much any other small business, there are constantly things breaking and needing to be replaced,” Ermatinger said. “Usually at our team meetings, that’s one of the main topics of conversation every week.”

Speciation will receive a $5,000 monetary grant, plus a full suite of business consultation services, including:

Computer equipment plus free internet, voice, and

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